Dam

There is a dam

it buckles beneath the weight of sheer pressure

For a second, it doubts

and a drop falls down its long smooth face

The small droplet hits the bottom – splash

The noise is a reminder of the failure, the weakness

So another droplet falls, and another.

A torrent of drips, of failures, falls through the cracks.

Then she remember what she is:

A dam, a stronghold, a fortress.

Fortifying herself, she straightens up

She braces herself against the unrelenting water

And she succeeds.

My Demise

In darkness I am fully attentive

Because I shine so bright

To sparkle is my own incentive

I must escape the night

While beholding the light which outward shines

I turn to look inside

At the core is a glimpse at brutal wars

And I on neither side

Something wells up deep within my being

A fear I can’t deny

A threat to extinguish light so freeing

‘I would be trapped’ I cry

The painful thought of darkness seeping in

To my oasis of light

My stronghold - fortress - protecting within

Will crumble at the sight

I will be left alone a shattered mess

A shell of what I was

Although the light is strong I must confess

that’s just what darkness does